Saddles, particularly for bicycles or pedal-operated machines in general, are known to be connected to the support by means of a relatively rigid but elastic saddle frame, formed of a metal or composite material, commonly known as “rails”.
Saddle rails are further known to generally comprise one or more specially shaped elongate elements, each having a middle portion designed to be mounted to the underlying support and an end portion, partly convergent and partly divergent, designed for connection with the saddle or its shell or supporting core.
The rails typically comprise a pair of elongate members, which are connected to the saddle by coupling respective end portions into special receptacles on the bottom surface of the saddle or its shell.
This prior art solution has a few apparent drawbacks.
First, this kind of fit coupling to loosen and to become rather instable with time and extensive use.
Furthermore, when using this kind of coupling, pressure between the rails and the saddle is exerted on a few small areas, thereby involving high stress concentration.
The receptacles for the ends of the rails are rather large and increase the size of the saddle, thereby adding weight to the bicycle and reducing cyclists' performances, especially during competitions and extreme sport activity.
This saddle/rails fit is known to require a saddle pre-tensioning step, during which the shell is curved or widened to temporarily increase the distance between the receptacles to a sufficient extent as to allow the rails to be accommodated therein.
Once the rails have been mounted, the saddle is released, with the shell assuming its initial configuration, while the receptacles engage the ends of the rails.
These steps require appropriate equipment and arrangements, which have to be adapted and calibrated for each saddle model and shell and saddle base material. Adjustments have to be particularly accurate when using frames of composite materials, because the smallest calibration error might cause considerable stresses, which might affect shell integrity with time.